The Penn State situation, where any player can freely transfer to another university with no repercussions, can play immediately, and can be recruited by another coach, leads rise to the question: If you could have only one free transfer, from any school, who would you want?
It got me thinking about who I would pick for the Huskies? That led me to a few different things to consider; do I simply pick a player off the Heisman list, the player most likely to go first in the NFL draft, a player that would help a weaker unit, or an impact player that can make plays all over the offensive side of the ball?
Heisman Hopefuls
The 2012 Heisman hopeful list put out by the Heismanpundit.com has 18 players on it.
"Tavon Austin, Sr., AP, West VirginiaMontee Ball, Sr., RB, WisconsinMatt Barkley, Sr., QB, USCTajh Boyd, Jr., QB, ClemsonTyler Bray, Jr., QB, TennesseeKnile Davis, Jr., RB, ArkansasJames Franklin, Jr., QB, MissouriLandry Jones, Sr., QB, OklahomaCollin Klein, Sr., QB, Kansas StateMarcus Lattimore, Jr., RB, South CarolinaAaron Murray, Jr., QB, GeorgiaKeith Price, Jr., QB, WashingtonDenard Robinson, Sr., QB, MichiganGeno Smith, Sr., QB, West VirginiaDe’Anthony Thomas, So., RB, OregonSammy Watkins, So, WR, ClemsonTyler Wilson, Sr., QB, ArkansasCierre Wood, Sr., RB, Notre Dame"
First off, it is great to see Price on that list and thus you may as well eliminate any QB as the free transfer. Then there is guys like Montee Ball or Marcus Lattimore, who would be a huge boost for the Huskies, but if you only get to pick one would you pick a running-back? Same goes for a wide-receiver.
First Pick in the 2013 NFL Draft
Let’s be real, this is probably Matt Barkley or Tyler Bray. The quarterback position is simply too valuable in the NFL and unless a beast emerges on either the defensive or offensive line, it will almost always go to a QB.
Thus, we arrive at the same dilemma; it would be foolish to waste that free transfer on a QB with Price being certainly capable of running the show. However, maybe you feel differently, you can vote at the bottom.
Husky Biggest Need
The Huskies have a few needs that could be addressed, for example, depth on the line. Therefore, do you grab a guy like Chris Faulk a big offensive tackle from LSU who is regarded as one of the best at his position? OR do you consider the bigger need not a unit that needs depth but talent like at the corner-back position.
The best corner-back in the game is generally regarded as David Amerson from North Carolina State. However, getting a guy like Tyrann Mathieu is better when it comes to a player that can make plays on both sides of the ball. Do you grab one of those guys? That would make it so Desmond Trufant would move to guarding the second best wide-receivers on most teams, freeing up some of that responsibility.
Impact Player
There are a few impact players that already reside on the Husky offensive like Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. But can you really have too many impact players?
Mathieu who we listed above is one of those, Robert Woods and Keenan Allen are a couple more that many consider as high impact guys especially on the offensive side of the ball.
My Selection
That gives a pretty solid list of players to pick from, but I think if all is said and done I would pick someone that would change the course of games on the defensive side of the ball and in kick returns; Tyrann Mathieu.